JP7476787B2 - Management device, therapeutic inhaler, and management program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a management device, a therapeutic inhaler, and a management program.

Patent document 1 describes a system that includes a nebulizer and a computer, which starts administering medicine by the nebulizer unit and sends a start notification to the computer when the start key is pressed, and sends a stop notification to the computer when the stop key is pressed.

Patent document 2 describes an asthma treatment support system suitable for transmitting, managing, and displaying the usage status of aerosol-type (pressurized metered dose type) portable inhalers. In this system, when a transmitting device attached to the inhaler detects the manipulation of the medicine canister by the user's finger, it calculates the number of times the inhaler has been used based on the detection result and transmits the information to a management server.

JP 2018-000322 A JP 2011-092418 A

Treatment using a therapeutic inhaler such as a nebulizer that is configured to allow inhalation of atomized liquid medicine is required to be performed at a frequency specified by a doctor. Here, one treatment using a therapeutic inhaler means that the same type of medicine is inhaled for a specified period of time (e.g., five minutes). For example, if a doctor could check the operation history of the therapeutic inhaler later, it would be possible to determine whether treatment is being performed at an appropriate frequency, which would be useful in deciding on a treatment plan.

Such therapeutic inhalers are often used on children, such as infants or toddlers. However, it is difficult for children to remain still for long periods of time. Therefore, even when performing a single treatment, it is expected that the spraying and inhalation of the medicinal liquid will begin, then the inhalation and spraying will be interrupted, and spraying and inhalation will be resumed after a while. In order to determine whether treatment has been performed at an appropriate frequency, it is preferable to be able to distinguish and manage temporary cessation of spraying due to such interruptions from cessation of spraying due to the end of treatment.

The object of the present invention is to provide a management device, a therapeutic inhaler, and a management program that can properly manage the history of treatment using a therapeutic inhaler.

(1)
A management device including a processor that acquires operation history information of the atomization unit in a therapeutic inhaler configured to enable inhalation of medicinal liquid atomized by the atomization unit, and determines whether the first operation history information and the second operation history information acquired after the first operation history information are information when the atomization unit was operated for the same treatment, based on the time between the end timing of a first operation period of the atomization unit based on the first operation history information and the start timing of a second operation period of the atomization unit based on the second operation history information.

According to (1), for example, if the time between the end timing of the first operation period and the start timing of the second operation period is long, it can be determined that the atomization unit was operated for separate treatments during the first operation period and the second operation period. On the other hand, if this time is short, it can be determined that the atomization unit was operated for the same treatment during the first operation period and the second operation period, but the operation of the atomization unit was temporarily interrupted. In this way, it is possible to determine whether or not treatment was interrupted based on the interval between each operation period when the atomization unit is operated consecutively. By using this determination result, it becomes possible to accurately grasp the frequency of treatment using a therapeutic inhaler, which can be useful in determining a treatment policy.

(2)
The management device according to (1),
The processor determines, if the time is equal to or greater than a threshold, that the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the atomization unit was operated for separate treatments, and, if the time is less than the threshold, that the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the atomization unit was operated for the same treatment.

(2) This makes it possible to accurately grasp the frequency of treatment using a therapeutic inhaler, which can be useful in determining treatment plans.

(3)
The management device according to (1),
The operation history information includes information on a type of medicinal liquid indicating a type of the medicinal liquid atomized by the nebulization unit during an operation period of the nebulization unit,
The processor is a management device that determines whether the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the nebulization unit was operated for the same treatment based on the time, the medicinal solution type information included in the first operation history information, and the medicinal solution type information included in the second operation history information.

For example, even if the time between the end of the first operating period and the start of the second operating period is short, if the types of medicinal liquid atomized in these two operating periods are different, it can be determined that the atomization unit was operated for separate treatments during the first operating period and the second operating period. As in (3), by taking into account not only the interval between each operating period when the atomization unit is operated consecutively, but also the type of medicinal liquid atomized in each operating period, it is possible to determine with higher accuracy whether or not treatment has been interrupted.

(4)
The management device according to (3),
The processor is a management device that determines that, if the time is less than a threshold value and the medicinal solution type information included in the first operation history information and the medicinal solution type information included in the second operation history information are different, the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the nebulization unit was operated for different treatments.

(4) This will enable a more accurate understanding of the frequency of treatment using a therapeutic inhaler, which will be useful in determining treatment plans.

(5)
A management device according to any one of (1) to (4),
When the processor determines that the multiple pieces of operation history information are information when the nebulization unit was operated for the same treatment, the management device deletes all but one of the multiple pieces of operation history information, or combines the multiple pieces of operation history information.

According to (5), operation history information that is no longer necessary to manage due to interruptions in treatment can be deleted or combined. This reduces the amount of data to be retained.

(6)
A management device according to any one of (1) to (4),
When the processor determines that the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the nebulization unit was operated for the same treatment, the management device records the first operation history information and the second operation history information in association with a common identification information.

According to (6), by referring to the identification information associated with the operation history information, it is possible to accurately determine the number of times treatment has been performed. In this way, being able to accurately determine the frequency of treatment using a therapeutic inhaler can be useful in determining a treatment plan.

(7)
(6) The management device according to (6),
A communication unit for communicating with the therapeutic inhaler,
The processor is
acquiring the operation history information from the therapeutic inhaler via the communication unit;
A management device that requests a user terminal to confirm whether or not correction is necessary for multiple pieces of operation history information associated with the common identification information, and corrects the multiple pieces of operation history information if it determines that correction is necessary in response to the request.

According to (7), the user of the user terminal is asked whether correction is necessary, and if it is determined that correction is necessary, multiple pieces of operation history information are corrected. This makes it possible to prevent with a high degree of certainty a situation in which multiple pieces of operation history information are corrected even when treatment has not been interrupted. As a result, it becomes possible to provide the doctor with more accurate information on the frequency with which treatment has been performed.

(8)
(7) The management device according to (7),
The processor performs the correction by deleting all but one of the plurality of pieces of operation history information, or performs the correction by combining the plurality of pieces of operation history information.

According to (8), it is possible to delete or combine operation history information that is unnecessary to manage due to interruptions in treatment, while reflecting the intention of the user of the user terminal. This makes it possible to provide doctors with more accurate information on the frequency with which treatment was performed.

(9)
A management device according to any one of (1) to (6),
A communication unit for communicating with the therapeutic inhaler,
The processor is a management device that acquires the operation history information from the therapeutic inhaler via the communication unit.

According to (9), the therapeutic inhaler only needs to have the function of transmitting operation history information. This allows the manufacturing cost of the therapeutic inhaler to be reduced.

(10)
A management device according to any one of (1) to (4);
The atomization unit,
The processor is
Controlling transmission of the operation history information to an external device;
A therapeutic inhaler that omits transmitting the second operation history information to the external device if it is determined that the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the nebulization section was operated for the same treatment at the timing before the second operation history information is transmitted to the external device.

According to (10), the external device can provide data based on the operation history information for each treatment to a doctor or the like. In this case, the external device only needs to have a function of outputting data based on the operation history information received from the therapeutic inhaler. This can reduce the cost of building a system that includes a therapeutic inhaler and an external device.

(11)
A therapeutic inhaler configured to inhale a medicinal liquid atomized by an atomization unit,
A communication unit capable of communicating with the management device according to any one of (1) to (9);
an operating member capable of performing a start operation to instruct the atomization unit to start atomization and a stop operation to instruct the atomization unit to stop atomization;
an inhaler processor that transmits operation history information of the nebulizer unit to the management device;
The inhaler processor transmits at least a portion of the operation history information to the management device at a timing after the nebulizer unit stops in response to the end operation.

According to (11), when the atomization unit is stopped, at least a portion of the operation history information is transmitted to the management device. This allows the transmission of this information to be stable, and the necessary information can be transmitted to the management device.

(12)
(11) The therapeutic inhaler according to (11),
The inhaler processor transmits all of the operation history information to the management device at the timing.

According to (12), operation history information that can be used to manage treatment using a therapeutic inhaler can be transmitted to a management device without loss.

(13)
(12) The therapeutic inhaler according to (12),
The timing when the above start operation is performed is set as the start timing,
The timing when the above-mentioned termination operation is performed is regarded as the termination timing.
The time from the start timing to the end timing is defined as an operation time.
The therapeutic inhaler, wherein the operation history information includes two pieces of information, namely, the start timing and the operation time, two pieces of information, namely, the end timing and the operation time, or two pieces of information, namely, the start timing and the end timing.

According to (13), at least the timing of treatment using the therapeutic inhaler and the time for which the treatment was performed can be managed by the management device. This makes it possible to determine whether the treatment was performed at an appropriate frequency and with an appropriate amount of medicinal liquid.

(14)
(13) The therapeutic inhaler according to (13),
The therapeutic inhaler, wherein the operation history information includes information on the type of medicinal liquid atomized by the atomization unit.

According to (14), when a patient undergoing treatment using multiple medicinal liquids uses a therapeutic inhaler, it becomes possible to determine whether the patient is inhaling the medicinal liquids appropriately.

(15)
A management program for managing a treatment using a therapeutic inhaler configured to enable inhalation of a medicinal liquid atomized by an atomization unit,
An acquisition step of acquiring operation history information of the atomization unit;
a determination step of determining whether the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the mist unit was operated for the same treatment, based on the time between the end timing of a first operation period of the mist unit based on the first operation history information and the start timing of a second operation period of the mist unit based on the second operation history information, from the first operation history information acquired in the acquisition step and the second operation history information acquired following the first operation history information.

According to (15), the same effect as (1) can be obtained.

The present invention makes it possible to properly manage the history of treatment using a therapeutic inhaler.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a treatment management system. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the nebulizer shown in FIG. 1 . 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the nebulizer shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the right side (the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 2). FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the nebulizer shown in FIG. 1 is used. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the nebulizer shown in FIG. 1 . 11 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the nebulizer control unit when treatment is completed by one operation of the nebulization unit. 13 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the nebulizer control unit when treatment is completed by two activations of the nebulization unit (when treatment is interrupted once). 13 is a timing chart for explaining a modified example of the operation of the nebulizer control unit when treatment is completed by two activations of the nebulization unit.

(overview)
The following describes an overview of a treatment management system including a server, which is an embodiment of the management device of the present invention, and a nebulizer, which is an embodiment of the treatment inhaler of the present invention. The nebulizer transmits operation history information of the atomizing unit when the atomizing unit is operated to the server. The server acquires operation history information of the atomizing unit of the nebulizer, and determines whether the first operation period and the second operation period are periods during which the atomizing unit is operated for the same treatment based on the time between the end timing of the first operation period of the atomizing unit based on the first operation history information and the start timing of the second operation period of the atomizing unit based on the second operation history information, among the first operation history information and the second operation history information acquired after the first operation history information. If the time is equal to or less than a threshold value, for example, the server determines that the operation of the atomizing unit is performed twice for the same treatment. If the server determines that the first operation period and the second operation period are periods during which the atomizing unit is operated for the same treatment, for example, the server combines the operation history information corresponding to the first operation period with the operation history information corresponding to the second operation period, or deletes the operation history information corresponding to the second operation period. This makes it possible to prevent a single treatment performed by operating the atomizing unit multiple times from being recognized as multiple treatments, and makes it possible to accurately grasp the frequency of treatments using a nebulizer. Below, details of an embodiment of a treatment management system including a nebulizer will be described.

(Embodiment)

(Configuration of treatment management system)
1 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of a treatment management system 100. The treatment management system 100 includes a nebulizer 1 as a therapeutic inhaler that treats respiratory diseases by inhaling a sprayed medicinal liquid, an electronic device 3 owned by a user of the nebulizer 1 or a related person (e.g., a parent of the user), and a management server 6 as a management device.

The electronic device 3 is an electronic device with a communication function, such as a personal computer, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal. The electronic device 3 is configured to be able to communicate with the management server 6 via a network 4, such as the Internet. The electronic device 3 is configured to be able to communicate with the nebulizer 1 based on a short-range communication standard, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi.

A treatment management app provided by the operator of the treatment management system 100 is installed on the electronic device 3. The functions of this treatment management app enable the transmission and reception of information between the nebulizer 1 and the electronic device 3, the transmission of information from the electronic device 3 to the management server 6, and the viewing by the electronic device 3 of display data generated by the management server 6.

(Block configuration of management server)
1, the management server 6 includes a communication interface (IF) 61 (communication unit) for communicating with devices connected to the network 4, a server control unit 62, and a database 63. The database 63 may be a storage external to the management server 6, or may be a network storage connected to the network 4.

The server control unit 62 controls the entire management server 6 and includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes programs and performs processing, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores the programs executed by this processor, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) as a work memory. The structure of the processor described in this specification is specifically an electric circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

The server control unit 62 acquires information sent from the nebulizer 1 to the electronic device 3 and transferred from the electronic device 3 via the communication interface 61, and records the acquired information in the database 63. The server control unit 62 processes the information recorded in the database 63 to generate display data for displaying treatment results such as the timing of treatment performed using the nebulizer 1 (treatment timing) and the time during which the treatment was performed (treatment time). When the server control unit 62 receives a request to view this display data from the electronic device 3 or another electronic device connected to the network 4 (for example, an device operated by a doctor who is in charge of examining the user of the nebulizer 1), it controls the electronic device that made the request to display an image based on this display data.

(Nebulizer Structure)
Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the nebulizer 1 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the nebulizer 1 shown in Fig. 2 as viewed from the right side (the direction indicated by the arrow A in Fig. 2).

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the nebulizer 1 comprises a main body 10 consisting of a lower body part 11 having a generally elliptical cylindrical shape and an upper body part 12 which is removably fitted from above into the lower body part 11, a mounting member 20 which is attached to the upper body part 12, and a cap member 30 which is configured to be openable and closable relative to the upper body part 12. The front half part 12F of the upper body part 12 has a generally cylindrical shape, and the rear half part 12R of the upper body part 12 has a generally trapezoidal cylindrical shape.

As shown in FIG. 2, the front surface of the lower body 11 is provided with an operating member 50 including a start/end button 51 and a liquid medicine selection button 52, and light-emitting units 81, 82, and 83 for indicating the type of liquid medicine being selected by the liquid medicine selection button 52.

As shown in FIG. 3, the upper surface of the front half 12F of the upper body 12 has a recess 16 having a generally circular planar shape that opens upward to receive the mounting member 20. The recess 16 has a bottom surface 16b that is inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis direction (vertical direction) of the body 10, and a side surface 16c that is connected to the bottom surface 16b and gradually opens upward. Protuberances 19f and 19r are provided in specific directions (the front side and the rear side in this example) on the edge portion 15 around the recess 16. The front side protuberance 19f has a planar shape that protrudes in an arc shape toward the center of the recess 16. The rear side protuberance 19r has a planar shape that is recessed in an arc shape when viewed from the center of the recess 16. The protuberances 19f and 19r are intended to fit into the flange portion 24 of the mounting member 20. Furthermore, a ring-shaped elastic packing 29 is provided on the side surface 16c of the recess 16 so as to circumferentially surround and contact the side wall portion 23 of the mounting member 20.

As shown in FIG. 3, inside the front half 12F of the upper body 12, a vibration unit 40 is provided at a position corresponding to the recess 16. The vibration unit 40 includes an ultrasonic transducer 41 arranged at a position spaced downward from the recess 16, a vibration surface 43 arranged horizontally at a position corresponding to the bottom surface 16b of the recess 16, and a horn 42 arranged between the ultrasonic transducer 41 and the vibration surface 43, which amplifies the vibration of the ultrasonic transducer 41 and transmits it to the vibration surface 43. The driving voltage for the ultrasonic transducer 41 is supplied from the lower body 11 via a contact electrode provided between the upper body 12 and the lower body 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rear half 12R of the upper body 12 is provided with a liquid storage section 17 having a substantially semicircular planar shape. As shown in FIG. 3, this liquid storage section 17 has a bottom surface 17b that becomes gradually shallower toward the front side. A liquid supply path 18 is provided that is connected to the front side portion of the liquid storage section 17 and is used to supply liquid (medicinal liquid) from the liquid storage section 17 onto the vibration surface 43 of the vibration section 40. In the disassembled state shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the liquid storage section 17 is open toward the top. Therefore, the user can pour liquid such as medicinal liquid into the liquid storage section 17 from above.

A cap member 30 forming a lid is connected to the upper edge of the rear end side of the rear half 12R of the upper body 12 via a hinge 38 so as to be rotatable relative to the upper body 12. The cap member 30 includes a rear half 30R arranged on the side closer to the hinge 38 and having a substantially trapezoidal planar shape, and a front half 30F connected to the rear half 30R and having a ring-shaped, substantially circular planar shape. Two cylindrical protrusions 33 are provided protruding from the front half 30F of the cap member 30 on the side facing the upper surface of the upper body 12, at positions corresponding to the left part 15b and the right part 15c of the edge 15 around the recess 16. A mesa portion 34 having a substantially trapezoidal planar shape corresponding to the planar shape of the liquid storage portion 17 is provided on the side facing the upper surface of the upper body 12 of the rear half 30R of the cap member 30. When the cap member 30 is closed relative to the upper body 12 and the nebulizer 1 is assembled, the protrusions 33 act to position the mounting member 20. In addition, the mesa portion 34 covers the top of the liquid storage portion 17 to prevent the liquid medicine from overflowing from the liquid storage portion 17. The center of the front half portion 30F of the cap member 30 is an opening 30o to which a mouthpiece or the like is to be attached.

The front edge 30Fe (opposite the hinge 38) of the front half 30F of the cap member 30 is provided with an inwardly protruding engagement protrusion 31. Meanwhile, the front half 12F of the upper body 12 is provided with an engagement protrusion 14 that protrudes outward (forward) from the front end. When the cap member 30 is closed on the upper body 12, the engagement protrusion 31 of the cap member 30 vertically engages with the engagement protrusion 14 of the upper body 12.

The mounting member 20 is mounted in the recess 16 of the upper body 12 when the nebulizer 1 is used. The mounting member 20 includes a flat film-like sheet 21 that faces the vibration surface 43, a bottom plate portion 22 that supports the sheet 21, an annular side wall portion 23 that is connected to the outer edge of the bottom plate portion 22 and faces the side surface 16c of the recess 16, a flange portion 24 that is connected to the upper edge of the side wall portion 23 and spreads radially outward around the upper edge, and a gripping portion 25 that is connected to a part of the outer edge of the flange portion 24 and extends downward. The sheet 21 is attached to the underside of the bottom plate portion 22 by adhesion or welding. The approximately central area of the sheet 21 forms the mesh portion 21a.

(Assembling the nebulizer)
A user who wishes to use the nebulizer 1 attaches the mounting member 20 having the mesh portion 21a to the recess 16 of the main body 10, which opens upward, as shown by the arrow D in FIG. 3, with the cap member 30 open relative to the main body 10. With the mounting member 20 attached, the user rotates the cap member 30 via the hinge 38 relative to the main body 10 (main body upper part 12) to close it. Then, the engagement protrusion 31 of the cap member 30 engages with the engagement protrusion 14 of the main body upper part 12 in the vertical direction. This fixes the cap member 30 in a closed state relative to the main body upper part 12. In this way, the nebulizer 1 is easily assembled. This state is called the assembled state.

(Use of a nebulizer)
When using the nebulizer 1, the user first puts medicinal liquid into the liquid storage section 17 of the upper body 12. Then, in the assembled state, the user attaches, for example, a mouthpiece 80 to the opening 30o of the cap member 30, as shown in Fig. 4. Instead of the mouthpiece 80, an inhalation mask that covers the face of the user 99 may be attached.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the nebulizer 1 is tilted slightly forward, the medicinal liquid is supplied from the liquid storage section 17 through the liquid supply path 18 onto the vibration surface 43 of the vibration section 40. In other words, the medicinal liquid is supplied between the vibration surface 43 and the mesh section 21a. In this state, when a drive voltage is applied to the ultrasonic vibrator 41 of the vibration section 40 to vibrate the vibration surface 43, the medicinal liquid 90 is atomized and ejected through the mesh section 21a (more precisely, the multiple through holes penetrating the sheet 21). In this way, the vibration section 40 and the mesh section 21a of the mounting member 20 form an atomization section (atomization section 73 described below) that atomizes the liquid such as the medicinal liquid stored in the liquid storage section 17.

(Nebulizer block configuration)
5 is a diagram showing a block configuration of nebulizer 1. Nebulizer 1 includes an operating member 50, a nebulizer control unit 71, an oscillation frequency generating unit 72, an atomizing unit 73, a communication interface 74 constituting a communication unit for communicating with electronic device 3, and a notification unit 75.

The start/end button 51 included in the operating member 50 is an operating member that can perform a start operation that instructs the nebulizer control unit 71 to start the operation of the atomization unit 73, and a stop operation that instructs the nebulizer control unit 71 to stop the operation of the atomization unit 73. For example, a short press of the start/end button 51 when the atomization unit 73 is not operating is considered to be a start operation, and a short press of the start/end button 51 after the start operation is considered to be a stop operation. Note that the start/end button 51 may be configured as two separate buttons: a button for performing the start operation and a button for performing the stop operation.

The medicinal solution selection button 52 included in the operating member 50 is an operating member that allows the user to select the type of medicinal solution to be used in treatment using the nebulizer 1.

The notification unit 75 is composed of light-emitting units 81, 82, and 83 shown in FIG. 2. Each of the light-emitting units 81, 82, and 83 includes a light-emitting element such as an LED (light emitting diode). The function of the treatment management app installed in the electronic device 3 allows information on different types of medicinal liquid to be associated with the light-emitting units 81, 82, and 83 and registered. The user operates the medicinal liquid selection button 52 to sequentially switch between a state in which the light-emitting unit 81 is lit, a state in which the light-emitting unit 82 is lit, and a state in which the light-emitting unit 83 is lit. The type of medicinal liquid corresponding to the lit light-emitting unit is recognized by the nebulizer control unit 71 as the medicinal liquid selected by the user.

The oscillation frequency generating unit 72 applies an AC drive voltage to the ultrasonic vibrator 41 of the vibration unit 40 based on a control signal from the nebulizer control unit 71. In this specification, a state in which a drive voltage is applied to the ultrasonic vibrator 41 is referred to as a state in which the atomization unit 73 is operating, and a state in which a drive voltage is not applied to the ultrasonic vibrator 41 is referred to as a state in which the atomization unit 73 is stopped.

The nebulizer control unit 71 is configured to include a processor such as a CPU, a RAM as a work memory, and a ROM for recording various information, and various processes are performed by this processor. When the nebulizer control unit 71 detects a start operation while the nebulizer unit 73 is not operating, it activates the nebulizer unit 73, and when it detects an end operation while the nebulizer control unit 73 is operating, it stops the nebulizer unit 73. When the nebulizer control unit 71 activates the nebulizer unit 73, it controls the transmission of operation history information of the nebulizer unit 73 relating to the operation to the management server 6 via the electronic device 3.

In the following description, the nebulizer control unit 71 treats the timing (specifically, date and time) when the start operation is detected as the operation start timing of the atomization unit 73. The nebulizer control unit 71 also treats the timing (specifically, date and time) when the end operation is detected as the operation end timing of the atomization unit 73. The nebulizer control unit 71 also treats the time from the operation start timing to the operation end timing immediately thereafter as the operation time of the atomization unit 73. The operation start timing, operation end timing, and operation time each constitute the operation history information of the atomization unit 73.

Figure 6 is a timing chart to explain the operation of the nebulizer control unit 71 when treatment is completed with a single operation of the atomization unit 73.

When the nebulizer control unit 71 detects a start operation at timing t1, it activates the atomization unit 73, and when it detects a stop operation at timing t2, it stops the operation of the atomization unit 73. Furthermore, when the nebulizer control unit 71 detects a stop operation at timing t2, it generates operation history information J1 regarding the operation of the atomization unit 73 that started at timing t1. The operation history information J1 is composed of three types of information: timing t1 (operation start timing), the time between timing t1 and timing t2 (operation time of the atomization unit 73), and the type of medicinal liquid atomized by the atomization unit 73. The nebulizer control unit 71 transmits the operation history information J1 to the electronic device 3 at timing t3 after the atomization unit 73 stops.

The electronic device 3 that receives the operation history information J1 from the nebulizer 1 transfers this operation history information J1 to the management server 6. The management server 6 records this operation history information J1 in the database 63.

Figure 7 is a timing chart to explain the operation of the nebulizer control unit 71 when treatment is completed by two activations of the atomization unit 73 (when treatment is interrupted once).

When the nebulizer control unit 71 detects a start operation at timing t4, it activates the atomization unit 73. When the nebulizer control unit 71 detects a stop operation at timing t5, it stops the operation of the atomization unit 73 and generates operation history information J2 regarding the operation of the atomization unit 73 that started at timing t4. The operation history information J2 is composed of three types of information: timing t4 (operation start timing), the time between timing t4 and timing t5 (operation time of the atomization unit 73), and the type of medicinal liquid atomized by the atomization unit 73. The nebulizer control unit 71 transmits the operation history information J2 to the electronic device 3 at timing t6 after the atomization unit 73 stops.

After that, when the nebulizer control unit 71 detects a start operation at timing t7, it activates the atomization unit 73. When the nebulizer control unit 71 detects an end operation at timing t8, it stops the operation of the atomization unit 73 and generates operation history information J3 regarding the operation of the atomization unit 73 that started at timing t7. The operation history information J3 is composed of three types of information: timing t7 (operation start timing), the time between timing t7 and timing t8 (operation time of the atomization unit 73), and the type of medicinal liquid atomized by the atomization unit 73. The nebulizer control unit 71 transmits the operation history information J3 to the electronic device 3 at timing t9 after the atomization unit 73 stops.

The electronic device 3 receives the operation history information J2, J3 from the nebulizer 1 and transfers the operation history information J2, J3 to the management server 6. The management server 6 records the operation history information J2, J3 in the database 63.

At regular intervals, such as when the date changes, the server control unit 62 of the management server 6 executes a process of analyzing an operation history group consisting of multiple pieces of operation history information for the past day (multiple pieces of operation history information including the same date) recorded in the database 63. For example, if the operations shown in FIG. 6 and the operations shown in FIG. 7 were performed on a certain day, a process of analyzing an operation history group consisting of operation history information J1, operation history information J2, and operation history information J3 is executed.

Specifically, the server control unit 62 selects one piece of operation history information from the operation history group and sets it as the first operation history information, and selects the operation history information obtained (recorded in the database 63) next to the first operation history information from the operation history group and sets it as the second operation history information. The server control unit 62 determines whether the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the atomization unit 73 was operated for the same treatment based on the time between the end timing of the operation period (referred to as the first operation period) of the atomization unit 73 based on the first operation history information and the start timing of the operation period (referred to as the second operation period) of the atomization unit 73 based on the second operation history information (the interval between two consecutive operations of the atomization unit 73, hereinafter referred to as time T). The server control unit 62 derives the end timing of the first operation period corresponding to the first operation history information from the operation start timing and operation time included in the first operation history information, and derives the above-mentioned time T from the derived end timing and the operation start timing included in the second operation history information.

The server control unit 62 repeats the above-mentioned process so that each piece of operation history information except for the newest operation history information included in the operation history group becomes the first operation history information. The age of each piece of operation history information can be determined by referring to the information on the operation start timing included therein or by referring to the date and time when each piece of operation history information was recorded in the database 63. When the operation history group is made up of operation history information J1, operation history information J2, and operation history information J3, the server control unit 62 makes the above-mentioned determination with operation history information J1 as the first operation history information and operation history information J2 as the second operation history information, and with operation history information J2 as the first operation history information and operation history information J3 as the second operation history information.

When treatment using the nebulizer 1 is interrupted midway, the time T (the time between timing t5 and timing t7 in the example of Figure 7) does not become very long. Therefore, when the time T is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value TH, the server control unit 62 determines that the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the atomization unit 73 was operated for separate treatments. When the time T is less than the threshold value TH, the server control unit 62 determines that the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the atomization unit 73 was operated for the same treatment.

The server control unit 62 associates and records a common identification information with each of the multiple pieces of operation history information that it has determined to be operation history information when the atomization unit 73 was operated for the same treatment. For example, if the operation history group consists of operation history information J1, operation history information J2, and operation history information J3, the server control unit 62 associates and records the common identification information with the operation history information J2 and operation history information J3.

For multiple pieces of operation history information to which common identification information has been added, the server control unit 62 performs a combining process to combine these multiple pieces of operation history information among the operation history groups recorded in the database 63. In the example of FIG. 7, the server control unit 62, for example, calculates the sum of the operation time included in the operation history information J2 and the operation time included in the operation history information J3, and generates operation history information J2A consisting of this sum, the operation start timing of the nebulizer 73 included in the operation history information J2, and information on the type of medicinal liquid included in the operation history information J2. The server control unit 62 then deletes the operation history information J2 and J3, and records this operation history information J2A in the database 63 instead.

In addition, instead of the above-mentioned combining process, the server control unit 62 may perform a deleting process in which only one of the multiple pieces of operation history information to which common identification information is added is left and the others are deleted. In the example of FIG. 7, for example, the server control unit 62 may delete operation history information J2 and delete operation history information J3 from among operation history information J2 and operation history information J3.

(Effects of treatment management system)
According to the treatment management system 100, based on two pieces of operation history information adjacent in time series acquired by the management server 6, it is determined whether or not these two pieces of operation history information are information related to the operation of the atomizing unit 73 for the same treatment. If it is determined that these two pieces of operation history information are information related to the operation of the atomizing unit 73 for the same treatment, the two pieces of operation history information are corrected (the above-mentioned combining process or deleting process). With this configuration, one piece of operation history information is always recorded for one treatment in the database 63 after the analysis process. Therefore, for example, a doctor or the like can refer to the operation history information recorded in the database 63 to accurately grasp the frequency of treatment using the nebulizer 1, which can be useful in determining a treatment policy.

In addition, when the above-mentioned combining process is performed, the amount of medicinal liquid inhaled during one treatment can be roughly determined from the operation time included in the operation history information after the combining process. This allows the doctor to determine whether the user is performing appropriate treatment, which can be useful in determining the treatment plan.

The nebulizer 1 of the treatment management system 100 transmits operation history information at the timing after the operation of the nebulizer 73 stops (timing t3 in FIG. 6, timing t6 and t9 in FIG. 7). In this way, the operation history information is transmitted when the ultrasonic transducer 41 of the nebulizer 73 is not in operation, so that the transmission can be performed stably without being affected by the operation noise of the nebulizer 73. Therefore, the operation history information can be transmitted to the management server 6 without omissions, and treatment can be managed accurately.

(First Variation of Treatment Management System)
The server control unit 62 may be configured not to perform the above-mentioned combining process or deleting process. Even in this case, the operation history information for each treatment can be identified by the identification information added to each operation history information recorded in the database 63. In other words, by looking at multiple pieces of operation history information to which common identification information is added, a doctor can recognize that these pieces of information were generated for one treatment. Therefore, even in this modified example, a doctor can determine whether the user is performing an appropriate treatment, which can be useful in determining a treatment policy.

(Second Variant of Treatment Management System)
The server control unit 62 may request a user terminal (electronic device 3 or other device connected to network 4) to confirm whether or not correction (perform either the above-mentioned combining process or the deletion process) is required for multiple pieces of operation history information associated with common identification information, and if it determines that correction is required based on the response to this request, it may execute the above-mentioned combining process or the above-mentioned deletion process. In this way, by obtaining confirmation from the user before making correction, it is possible to prevent multiple pieces of operation history information from being erroneously corrected with a high degree of certainty. As a result, it becomes possible to provide the doctor with a more accurate information on the frequency of treatment.

(Third Variation of Treatment Management System)
The server control unit 62 may determine whether the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the nebulization unit 73 was operated for the same treatment based on the time T, the medicinal liquid type information contained in the first operation history information, and the medicinal liquid type information contained in the second operation history information.

Even if the time T, which is the interval between two successive operations of the atomizing unit 73, is short, if the type of medicinal liquid atomized in each of these two operations is different, it can be said that the atomizing unit 73 was operated for different treatments for these two operations. Therefore, when the time T is less than the threshold value TH and the medicinal liquid type information included in the first operation history information and the medicinal liquid type information included in the second operation history information are different, the server control unit 62 determines that the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the atomizing unit 73 was operated for different treatments. On the other hand, when the time T is less than the threshold value TH and the medicinal liquid type information included in the first operation history information and the medicinal liquid type information included in the second operation history information are the same, the server control unit 62 determines that the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the atomizing unit 73 was operated for the same treatment.

In this way, by taking into account not only the interval between each operation period when the nebulizer 73 is operated continuously, but also the type of medicinal liquid nebulized during each operation period, it is possible to determine with greater accuracy whether or not treatment has been interrupted.

(Fourth Variation of Treatment Management System)
Up to this point, it has been assumed that server control unit 62 acquires operation history information from nebulizer 1, records it in database 63, and analyzes the operation history information recorded in database 63. However, the functions of server control unit 62 may be provided in nebulizer control unit 71 of nebulizer 1. The configuration of the treatment management system of this modified example is a configuration in which management server 6 is deleted from treatment management system 100. In this modified example, nebulizer control unit 71 constitutes the management device.

In the treatment management system of this modified example, the nebulizer control unit 71 of the nebulizer 1 generates operation history information for the atomization unit 73 each time it operates the atomization unit 73 and records it in the built-in ROM. At regular intervals, such as when the date changes, the nebulizer control unit 71 executes a process to analyze an operation history group consisting of multiple pieces of operation history information for the past day recorded in the ROM. This process is the same as the process executed by the server control unit 62 described above.

In this way, by determining whether or not treatment has been interrupted in the nebulizer 1, one piece of operation history information is always recorded in the ROM of the nebulizer 1 for each treatment. Therefore, the operation history information after analysis processing recorded in the ROM can be read by, for example, the electronic device 3, and a doctor or the like can refer to this to accurately grasp the frequency of treatment using the nebulizer 1, which can be useful in determining a treatment plan. Note that even in this modified example, the nebulizer control unit 71 can be configured not to perform combining or deleting processing.

(Fifth Variation of Treatment Management System)
In the fourth modified example described above, the nebulizer control unit 71 determines whether or not treatment has been interrupted, and corrects the operation history information in accordance with the result of the determination. In this modified example, the nebulizer control unit 71 may determine whether or not treatment has been interrupted, and control the transmission of the operation history information to the management server 6 in accordance with the result of the determination. The configuration of the treatment management system of this modified example is a configuration in which a management server 6 is added to the configuration of the treatment management system of the fourth modified example. The management server 6 in this modified example records the operation history information transmitted from the nebulizer 1 in database 63, generates data based on the recorded information, and provides it to a user terminal, etc.

When the nebulizer control unit 71 generates operation history information, it sets the latest operation history information generated as the second operation history information, and sets the operation history information generated immediately before the latest operation history information as the first operation history information. The nebulizer control unit 71 then determines whether the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the atomization unit 73 was operated for the same treatment. This determination method is the same as the determination method performed by the server control unit 62 in the above embodiment. The nebulizer control unit 71 transmits the second operation history information to the electronic device 3 only when it determines that the first operation history information and the second operation history information are not information when the atomization unit 73 was operated for the same treatment. In other words, when the nebulizer control unit 71 determines that the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the atomization unit 73 was operated for the same treatment, it omits transmission of the second operation history information to the electronic device 3.

Figure 8 is a timing chart for explaining a modified example of the operation of the nebulizer control unit 71 when treatment is completed by two operations of the atomization unit 73. The difference between Figure 8 and Figure 7 is that the transmission of the operation history information J3 after timing t8 is omitted. The time T derived from the operation history information J2 generated at timing t5 and the operation history information J1 shown in Figure 6 generated immediately before that is equal to or greater than the threshold. Therefore, the operation history information J2 generated at timing t5 is transmitted to the electronic device 3 at the subsequent timing t6. On the other hand, the time T derived from the operation history information J3 generated at timing t8 and the operation history information J2 generated immediately before that is less than the threshold. Therefore, the operation history information J3 generated at timing t8 is not transmitted to the electronic device 3.

According to this modified example, when treatment is interrupted, only the operation history information (operation history information J2 in the example of FIG. 8) regarding the operation of the atomization unit 73 from the start of treatment to the interruption of treatment is transmitted to the electronic device 3. Therefore, one piece of operation history information is always recorded for one treatment in the database 63 of the management server 6. As a result, it becomes possible to accurately grasp the frequency of treatment using the nebulizer 1.

In addition, this modified example reduces the frequency of data transmission from the nebulizer 1, which can extend the continuous use time for battery-operated nebulizers. It also eliminates the need for the management server 6 to determine whether treatment has been interrupted or to correct operation history information. This reduces the processing load on the management server 6. It also reduces the required capacity of the database 63.

(Modification of Operation History Information)
In the explanation so far, the operation history information (J1, J2, J3) includes the operation start timing of the atomization unit 73 (the timing when the start operation was detected), the operation time of the atomization unit 73, and the type of liquid medicine atomized by the atomization unit 73. However, the following operation history information IF1 to IF3 may also be adopted as the operation history information.

The operation history information IF1 is composed of the operation start timing of the nebulizer 73, the operation end timing of the nebulizer 73 (the timing when the end operation is detected), and the type of medicinal liquid. When the operation history information IF1 is used, the operation time of the nebulizer 73 can be calculated based on the operation start timing and operation end timing, thereby making it possible to manage the timing at which the treatment was performed and the treatment time.

The operation history information IF2 is composed of the operation end timing of the nebulizer 73, the operation time of the nebulizer 73, and the type of medicinal liquid. When the operation history information IF2 is used, the above-mentioned time T can be derived by determining the operation start timing of the nebulizer 73 based on the operation end timing and operation time.

The operation history information IF3 is composed of the operation time of the nebulization unit 73 and the type of medicinal liquid. When the operation history information IF3 is used, the above-mentioned time T can be derived by treating the timing at which the operation history information IF3 is received by the management server 6 or the timing at which the operation history information IF3 is recorded by the nebulizer 1 as the operation end timing of the nebulization unit 73.

The operation history information (J1, J2, J3) described in the embodiment and each of the operation history information IF1 to IF3 in the modified example do not have to include the type of medicinal liquid. Even in this case, if the treatment is performed using a single type of medicinal liquid, the timing of treatment and the treatment time can be managed.

It is also possible that the treatment management system only manages the frequency of treatment and the type of medicinal liquid, and does not need to manage treatment time. In such cases, operation history information IF4 consisting of the operation start timing of the nebulization unit 73 and the type of medicinal liquid may be used. When operation history information IF4 is used, the above-mentioned time T can be derived by treating the timing at which the operation history information IF4 is received by the management server 6 or the timing at which the operation history information IF4 is recorded by the nebulizer 1 as the operation end timing of the nebulization unit 73. In the operation history information IF4, if management of the type of medicinal liquid is not required, the type of medicinal liquid can be omitted.

(Modification of Transmission Timing of Operation History Information)
In the explanation so far, in a configuration in which nebulizer 1 has a function of transmitting operation history information to electronic device 3, the timing of transmitting the operation history information is the timing after operation of atomization unit 73 stops. As a variation of this, nebulizer control unit 71 may transmit a portion of the operation history information to electronic device 3 when a start operation is detected, and transmit the remainder of the operation history information to electronic device 3 after operation of atomization unit 73 stops in response to a stop operation.

For example, when transmitting operation history information J1, the nebulizer control unit 71 may transmit information on the operation start timing to the electronic device 3 when the start operation is detected, and transmit information on the operation time and liquid medicine type to the electronic device 3 when the atomization unit 73 is stopped in response to the end operation. Even in this case, if the transmission of the operation start timing is not successful, the above-mentioned time T can be derived by treating the timing at which the management server 6 received the information on the operation time and liquid medicine type from the operation history information J1 as the operation end timing. With this configuration, the operation history information can be transmitted to an external device efficiently.

In the treatment management system 100 of the embodiment and its modified examples, the electronic device 3 may be omitted, and the nebulizer 1 and management server 6 may communicate via the network 4. Also, the management server 6 may be omitted, and the functions of the management server 6 may be realized by a treatment management app installed in the electronic device 3. In other words, the electronic device 3 may be configured to record and analyze operation history information.

100 Treatment management system 1 Nebulizer 50 Operation member 51 Start/end button 71 Nebulizer control unit 73 Atomization unit 3 Electronic device 4 Network 6 Management server 62 Server control unit

Claims (17)

a processor that acquires operation history information of an atomization unit in a therapeutic inhaler configured to enable inhalation of a medicinal liquid atomized by the atomization unit, and determines whether or not the first operation history information and the second operation history information acquired next to the first operation history information are information when the atomization unit was operated for the same treatment, based on a time between an end timing of a first operation period of the atomization unit based on the first operation history information and a start timing of a second operation period of the atomization unit based on the second operation history information,
When the processor determines that the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the nebulization unit was operated for the same treatment, the management device records the first operation history information and the second operation history information in association with a common identification information . 2. The management device according to claim 1,
The processor determines, when the time is equal to or greater than a threshold value, that the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the atomization unit was operated for separate treatments, and, when the time is less than the threshold value, determines that the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the atomization unit was operated for the same treatment. 2. The management device according to claim 1,
the operation history information includes information on a type of medicinal liquid indicating a type of the medicinal liquid atomized by the nebulization unit during an operation period of the nebulization unit,
The processor is a management device that determines whether the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the nebulization unit was operated for the same treatment based on the time, the medicinal solution type information included in the first operation history information, and the medicinal solution type information included in the second operation history information. The management device according to claim 3,
The processor is a management device that determines that, if the time is less than a threshold value and the medicinal solution type information included in the first operation history information and the medicinal solution type information included in the second operation history information are different, the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the nebulization unit was operated for different treatments. The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A communication unit for communicating with the therapeutic inhaler,
The processor is a management device that acquires the operation history information from the therapeutic inhaler via the communication unit. 6. The management device according to claim 5,
The processor,
A management device that requests a user terminal to confirm whether or not correction is necessary for multiple pieces of operation history information that are associated with the common identification information, and corrects the multiple pieces of operation history information if it determines that correction is necessary in response to the request. 7. The management device according to claim 6,
The processor performs the correction by deleting all but one of the plurality of pieces of operation history information, or performs the correction by combining the plurality of pieces of operation history information. A therapeutic inhaler configured to allow a patient to inhale a medicinal liquid atomized by an atomizing unit,
A communication unit capable of communicating with the management device according to any one of claims 1 to 7;
an operating member capable of performing a start operation to instruct the atomization unit to start atomization and an end operation to instruct the atomization unit to end atomization;
an inhaler processor that transmits operation history information of the nebulizer unit to the management device;
The inhaler processor transmits at least a portion of the operation history information to the management device at a timing after the nebulizer unit is stopped in response to the end operation. 9. The therapeutic inhaler of claim 8,
The inhaler processor transmits all of the operation history information to the management device at the timing. 10. The therapeutic inhaler of claim 9,
The timing when the start operation is performed is set as a start timing,
The timing at which the end operation is performed is set as an end timing,
The time from the start timing to the end timing is defined as an operation time,
The therapeutic inhaler, wherein the operation history information includes two pieces of information: the start timing and the operation time, two pieces of information: the end timing and the operation time, or two pieces of information: the start timing and the end timing. 11. The therapeutic inhaler of claim 10,
The therapeutic inhaler, wherein the operation history information includes information on the type of medicinal liquid atomized by the atomization unit. a management device including a processor that acquires operation history information of an atomization unit in a therapeutic inhaler configured to allow inhalation of a medicinal liquid atomized by the atomization unit, and determines whether or not the first operation history information and the second operation history information acquired after the first operation history information are information when the atomization unit was operated for the same treatment, based on a time between an end timing of a first operation period of the atomization unit based on the first operation history information and a start timing of a second operation period of the atomization unit based on the second operation history information;
The atomization unit,
The processor,
Controlling transmission of the operation history information to an external device;
A therapeutic inhaler that omits transmitting the second operation history information to the external device if it is determined that the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the nebulization unit was operated for the same treatment at the timing before the second operation history information is transmitted to the external device. 13. The therapeutic inhaler of claim 12,
The processor determines, when the time is equal to or greater than a threshold, that the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the nebulization unit was operated for separate treatments, and, when the time is less than the threshold, determines that the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the nebulization unit was operated for the same treatment. 13. The therapeutic inhaler of claim 12,
the operation history information includes information on a type of medicinal liquid indicating a type of the medicinal liquid atomized by the nebulization unit during an operation period of the nebulization unit,
The processor of this therapeutic inhaler determines whether the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the nebulization unit was operated for the same treatment based on the time, the medicinal liquid type information contained in the first operation history information, and the medicinal liquid type information contained in the second operation history information. 15. The therapeutic inhaler of claim 14,
The processor determines that the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the nebulization unit was operated for different treatments when the time is less than a threshold value and the medicinal liquid type information included in the first operation history information is different from the medicinal liquid type information included in the second operation history information. A management program for managing a treatment using a therapeutic inhaler configured to enable inhalation of a medicinal liquid atomized by an atomization unit,
An acquisition step of acquiring operation history information of the atomization unit;
a determination step of determining whether or not the first operation history information and the second operation history information acquired in the acquisition step are information when the atomization unit was operated for the same treatment, based on a time between an end timing of a first operation period of the atomization unit based on the first operation history information and a start timing of a second operation period of the atomization unit based on the second operation history information.
a step of associating common identification information with the first operation history information and the second operation history information and recording them when it is determined that the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the atomization unit was operated for the same treatment. A management program for managing a treatment using a therapeutic inhaler configured to enable inhalation of a medicinal liquid atomized by an atomization unit,
An acquisition step of acquiring operation history information of the atomization unit;
a determination step of determining whether or not the first operation history information and the second operation history information acquired in the acquisition step are information when the atomization unit was operated for the same treatment, based on a time between an end timing of a first operation period of the atomization unit based on the first operation history information and a start timing of a second operation period of the atomization unit based on the second operation history information.
a step of omitting transmission of the second operation history information to the external device when it is determined that the first operation history information and the second operation history information are information when the nebulization unit was operated for the same treatment at a timing before the second operation history information is transmitted to the external device.

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